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RAWALPINDI: Captain Shan Masood led from the front with a composed unbeaten 77 as Pakistan reached 177-3 at Tea on the opening day of the second Test against South Africa at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Monday.
At the break, Masood stood firm on 77 off 144 balls alongside Saud Shakeel, who was unbeaten on 6, steering Pakistan to a steady position after a productive afternoon session.
Resuming at 95-1 after lunch, Masood and Abdullah Shafique extended their second-wicket partnership, adding 111 valuable runs to keep the Proteas at bay.
Both batters brought up well-crafted fifties, Masood his 13th in Test cricket and Shafique his sixth, as the pair looked set for a big stand before South Africa found a way back.
Off-spinner Simon Harmer, who had struck earlier in the morning session, broke through once again, dismissing Shafique for 57 off 146 deliveries.
The dismissal ended what had been a resilient partnership that formed the backbone of Pakistan’s innings.
Soon after, Keshav Maharaj joined the act, removing Babar Azam for 16 off 22 balls, leaving the hosts at 167-3 in 56 overs.
Despite the quick wickets, Masood held his composure, mixing solid defence with timely aggression to keep the scoreboard ticking.
Earlier, Pakistan had opted to bat first after winning the toss. Openers Imam-ul-Haq and Abdullah Shafique started confidently, negotiating the new ball well before Harmer provided the breakthrough by bowling Imam for 17 off 35 balls.
Masood’s arrival immediately shifted momentum back in Pakistan’s favour as the left-hander took the attack to South Africa’s spinners, striking three sixes and a boundary before lunch.
He and Shafique ensured Pakistan headed into the first break comfortably placed at 95-1.
Pakistan entered the match with one change from the opening Test, handing a long-awaited Test debut to 38-year-old left-arm spinner Asif Afridi, who replaced Hasan Ali.
South Africa, meanwhile, welcomed back Keshav Maharaj from injury, while Marco Jansen also returned, replacing Wiaan Mulder and Prenelan Subrayen.
It’s worth noting that Pakistan began their ICC World Test Championship 2025-27 campaign in style last week, defeating defending champions South Africa by 93 runs in Karachi to take a 1-0 lead in the two-match series.
Playing XIs
Pakistan: Imam-ul-Haq, Shan Masood (c), Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Salman Agha, Shaheen Afridi, Noman Ali, Sajid Khan, Asif Afridi.
South Africa: Aiden Markram (c), Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, Tony de Zorzi, Dewald Brevis, Kyle Verreynne (wk), Senuran Muthusamy, Marco Jansen, Simon Harmer, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada.
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